Bacon-Wrapped Feta Bites

Bacon-wrapped feta cheese bites are a deliciously decadent appetizer or hors d'oeuvres that are a guaranteed hit at any party or gathering. They're ridiculously easy to make, and all you need is thinly-sliced bacon, a good-quality feta cheese, and a frying pan.

Feta cheese works well not only because its tangy flavor complements the savory-smoky meatiness of bacon, but also because it melts somewhat slowly, thus allowing the bacon to cook fully without the cheese turning into a greasy puddle.

The following recipe and photos are from my sister-in-law Cathy Aki.

1. You need one strip of thin-cut bacon per cube of feta cheese. Cathy used a block of herbed feta cheese from Belgium, and she says that a good cheese makes a big difference.

2.  Cut the feta into small cubes so that you can wrap a slice of bacon completely around all sides of the cheese. Place a cube at the end of a strip of bacon, then begin rolling at that end to wrap the cheese with bacon, turning as needed to cover all sides.

3. Place the bacon-wrapped feta cubes in a frying pan, leaving space between them and placing each with the end of the bacon facing the pan--this will help "seal" it as it fries so that you don't need to use toothpicks to secure.

Fry until all sides of the bacon are cooked (a few minutes per side, turning carefully with tongs). Cathy says that some of the cheese will melt out, but that's just extra goodness. When fully cooked, remove from pan and allow to cool on paper towels for a couple of minutes because the cheese will be HOT and could otherwise burn your mouth.

Enjoy "as is" or dip in your favorite dipping sauce if you wish.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria